Organizations face multiple challenges in energized asset management. Even the most rigorous safety programs lack effective hazard identification or critical risk protocols. And, many leaders often do not realize that missing procedures, process gaps, and weak data analytics may thwart otherwise comprehensive reliability and maintenance programs. Collectively, these challenges contribute to a disjointed and reactive approach to asset management that can impact worker safety, operational performance, and, ultimately, an organization’s bottom-line. In this article, we discuss how aligning and integrating safety, reliability, and maintenance boosts the highest levels of performance. When organizations are able to build strategies that focus on the three disciplines working together, they will position themselves for long-term growth and success.
Why is it Important to Integrate Safety, Reliability, and Maintenance?
Many operations manage the three disciplines of safety, reliability, and maintenance independently and oftentimes this strategy works for them. The operation generally runs at acceptable to impressive levels with substantially lower risks of failure. While not eliminated, the probabilities of worst-case scenarios are low. But, what many leaders do not realize is that managing the three disciplines independently is not sustainable. Should there be a critical failure in any of the three disciplines, it can seriously degrade or shut down operations and, worse case, get people hurt or killed.
In our experience working with operations across the globe, we’ve seen that the highest levels of performance are achieved when the three disciplines are correctly integrated and aligned. When an operation has a coordinated strategy that integrates the three disciplines, it guarantees asset availability, minimizes unplanned repairs, deploys capital most efficiently, and optimizes production output while operating safely.
The Power of Integration & Alignment
When Apollo 11 first took astronauts to the surface of the moon, most of the attention, understandably, was on the astronauts, rocket, and the command and lunar modules. Less appreciated was the degree to which success depended on Mission Control. Inside that large room, all of the essential management and operational functions were aligned, and all three disciplines were integrated, which resulted in a high-performing operation.
The design of the Mission Control system informed its safe operation and its maintenance. Information gathered during maintenance created a feedback loop to improve future installations. Safety observations and incident reports also created a feedback loop for engineering and maintenance leaders. And there were enough leaders with responsibilities for the entire system, working from a common dashboard, that the system operated as one rather than three or more semi-autonomous functions. Operating each area independently could have worked and done well, but it was the power in integration that made the operation successful.
Getting Your Organization to a High-Performance State
From oil drilling platforms and manufacturing plants to power generation, fleets of trucks, and biopharmaceutical facilities, we’ve observed that performance, for any operation, is a function not just in how well the disciplines of safety, reliability, and maintenance are executed, but in how well all three are integrated. By building strategies to fully integrate the three disciplines, organizations can start preventing costly injuries, improving productivity, and seeing a healthier bottom line.
Interested in getting your organization to a high-performance state?
Partner with SEAM Group to integrate safety, reliability, and maintenance and enable your organization to maximize operational performance. Using our unique approach to energized asset optimization, we work with your organization to assess and determine your pain points and challenges, identify gaps in asset management, and implement solutions for long-term safety and performance outcomes. Take advantage of our full suite of services or start work on a specific area that needs the most improvement. We meet you where you are, offering the services you need when you need them the most.